Continuous defeathering machine



May 20, 1958 Fild June 25. 1953 INVENTOR ATTORNEY CONTINUOUS DEFEATHERING MACHINE Andrew J. Toti, Modesto, Califi, assignor to Honolulu Oil Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application June 25, 1953, Serial No. 364,043

12 Claims. (Cl. 17-11.1)

This invention relates to fowl defeather-ing apparatus, and in particular to a type wherein the fowls may pass in a stream continuously through the machine to emerge completely picked.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide such a machine of simple and durable construction which will handle a great flow of free fowl which may be introduced into the machine in rapid succession, completely defeather each one while moving through it. Also such a machine which will to a great extent compensate for different sizes of fowl.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a general side elevation of one form of machine made to carry out the present invention, and with a portion of the outer wall broken away. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the machine as viewed from along the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of one of the peripheral friction bafiles and flaps of Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4 is a cross section similar to that of Fig. 2 but showing a modified construction of the defeathering chamber.

In further detail the machine of the drawings comprises a composite wall of cylindrical form generally designated 1, an outer shell 1 and a circular row of baflies 21 within, all mounted to slant downwardly and preferably pivotally connected as at 2, 3, to standards 4, 5, so that its angle of inclination may be adjusted to give best results, though it is possible to run the machine in vertical position. I

Within the cylindrical wall 1- is a cylindrical rotor comprising a hub 6 secured to a supporting and driving shaft 7 and which hub is studded with beaters 8 of soft flexible friction material such as rubber, natural or synthetic, and are of the type generally known as fingers in the fowl picking art, and the outer ends of which operate preferably within an inch or two of the inter-ior portions of certain outer friction elements 9 constituting the innermost layer of the composite wall 1 of the cylinder, the outermost layer of which wall is preferably a shell 1'.

The shaft of the cylindrical rotor is supported in suitable bearings 10, 11, at opposite ends of the cylinder, and at the upper end of the shaft is indicated miter gears connected (in a casing 12) to a short shaft 13 to other gearing at 14 carrying a large drive pulley (or sprocket) 15 in turn belted to a driving motor 16 or other source of rotating power to revolve the rotor in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2.

The cylindrical shell is fixed and supported by two end or frame members 17, 18 provided respectively with an inlet opening for introducing fowls to the upper end as from a chute 19, and finally letting them fall from a discharge lip 20 at the lower end.

The composite wall of the cylinder may vary considernited States Patent "ice ably in construction, its chief requirements being that it should ofier a frictional resistance to the fowls against free spinning action otherwise induced by the action of the rotating beaters, or hold the fowl somewhat so the feathers will be drawn out by the beaters, and conversely the revolving of the beaters will prevent true rolling action of the fowl around the cylinder wall and hence the friction elements on the wall will act also to pull out the feathers, and due to the fact that a fowl is not a ball, but has wings, legs, and a neck, its unsymmetrical form causes it to turn and twist and tumble about in every direction as it is spun and revolved around the inside of the cylinder by the fast revolving beaters, while all the time gravity is also moving the fowl downward through the cylinder. The fowl therefore follows a helicoidal downward path. The speed of downwardmovement is governed by the friction applied to the fowls by the friction elements carried by the cylinder wall, and therefore means is provided to control this friction.

This means may vary considerably but is shown carried out here by making the inner wall of the cylinder of a series of pivotally mounted longitudinally extending shutter-like bafiies or slats 21 adapted to be swung on their pivoted ends to be extended inwardly, more or less toward the beaters to put any desired friction against the fowl. To supplement the friction as of plain wooden or metal slats a sheet or strip or flap of sheet rubber 9 (preferably vertically ribbed as indicated at 22) is secured to each slat 21 to project somewhat beyond the inner edge of the slat as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, and to aid the resiliency of the flaps fiat springs 23 are preferably provided behind each flap secured to the shutter pivot bars 24, here shown as of square cross section with extreme ends 25 rounded and pivoted in the outer cylinder end members 17 and 18.

At any convenient point" along the cylinder there may be a small crank arm 26 secured to and projecting outwardly from each pivot bar24 with each crank pivoted to a ring 27 for turning all bars simultaneously back and forth to control the shutter blades extension or retraction, and this ring may be connected to any automatic intermittent push pull device, preferably a spring returned electric solenoid timer, indicated at 28 so that the intermittent opening and closing may be set at a speed and degree of movement which will determine the rate of descent of the fowl through the apparatus.

In Fig. 4 the cylindrical wall 1 is indicated as of hinged sections pivoted together at 29, parted on top and resiliently urged toward the beaters or inward by means of adjustable spring tension indicated at 30. This indicates another way of controlling the inward pressure against the fowl. Other ways of accomplishing the result may readily be devised.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of its operation, what I claim is:

1. A continuous flow fowl picking apparatus comprising a downwardly extending substantially cylindrical rotor studded with soft flexible frictional feather engaging beaters projecting therefrom, means for rotating said rotor, means forming a tubular enclosure surrounding the outer side of said rotor with a fowl-passing opening at both ends but spaced sufficiently therefrom to receive a layer of fowls therebetween for descending there through by gravity, resilient friction members at the inner surface of said enclosure arranged to urge the fowl against said beaters substantially all around the rotor.

2. A continuous flow fowl picking apparatus comprising a downwardly extending substantially cylindrical rotor studded with soft flexible frictional feather engaging beaters projecting therefrom, means for rotating said Patented May 20, 1958 rotor, means. forming a tubular enclosure surrounding the outer sides of said rotor but spaced sufiiciently therefrom to receive a layer of fowls therebetween, resilient friction members at the inner surface of said enclosure arranged to'urge the fowl against said beaters around the rotor, with suificient force to prevent any free falling of the fowls through said tubular enclosure.

3. A continuous flow fowl picking apparatus comprising a downwardly extending substantially cylindricalrotor studded with soft flexible frictional feather engaging heaters, means for rotating said rotor, means forming a'tubular enclosure surrounding the outer sides of said rotor but spaced sufficiently therefrom to receive a layer of-fowls therebetween, resilient friction members at the inner-surface of said enclosure arranged to urge the fowl against said heaters around the rotor with'sutficient force to prevent any free falling of the fowls through said tubular enclosure, and means for adjusting the inward pressure of said friction members.

4. In an apparatus as set out in claim 3, means for automatically intermittently relieving and applying the inward pressure of said members at predetermined time intervals.

5. In a structure as set out in claim 1, said resilient friction members comprisinga series of resilient flexible flaps extending longitudinally of said enclosure and with inner edges loose, and being of rough surface rubber-like material.

6. In astructure as setout in claim 1, said resilient friction members comprising aseries of resilient flexible flaps of friction material extending longitudinally of the enclosure and with their inwardly directed edges free, and individual spring means for each flap urging it inward independent of the other flaps.

7. In a structure as set out in claim 1, the wall of said tubular enclosure comprising a series of slats extending longitudinally and arranged in spaced pivoted shutterlike arrangement slanted inwardly in direction of rotation of the rotor.

8. In a structure asset out in claim 1, the wall of said tubular enclosure comprising a series of slats extending longitudinally and arranged in spaced relation in shutterlike arrangement slanted inwardly in direction of the rotor, and means for varying the inward extension of the slats.

9. In a structure as set out in claim 1, the wall of said tubular enclosure comprising a series of slats extending longitudinally and arranged in spaced shutter-like arrangement slanted inwardly in direction of the rotation of. the rotor, and means for automatically intermittently varyingv the inward projection of the slats at predetermined time intervals.

10. In a structure as set out in claim 1, said tubular enclosure formed of longitudinal sections, and means resiliently urging the sections inward about the rotor.

11. In a fowl picking apparatus, means forming a confined substantially cylindrical space extending downwardly toward one end, said space being of a size adapted for passing loose fowls downward therethrough by gravity, means comprising a rotary assemblage of fowl defeathering fingers mounted within and for applying rapid frictional feather picking blows from centrally within said space with the fingers directed outwardly against fowl so passing downwardly in a manner to strike and cause the fowl to turn about in every direction and circulate around in said space while descending and thereby follow a h eli eoidal path, and means applying frictional resistance intermittently to the outermost portions of said fowl while so descending to aid in turning the fowl and control the angle and speed of their descent.

12. In a fowl picking apparatus, means forming a confined substantially cylindrical space extending downwardly toward one end, said space being of a size adapted for passing loose fowls downward therethrough by gravity, means comprising a rotary assemblage of fowl defeatheri ng fingers mounted within and for applying rapid frictional feather picking blows from centrally within said space with the fingers directed outwardly against fowl so passing downwardly in a manner to strike and cause the 'fowl to turn about in every direction and circulate around in said space while descending and thereby follow a helicoidal path, and means automatically applying frictional resistance intermittently to the outermost portions of said fowl while so descending to aid in their turning about and to control the angle and speed of their descent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 486,441 Empson Nov. 22, 1892 745,658 Perryet a1 Dec. 1, 1903 1,002,920 'Kohlhepp Sept. 12, 1911 1,024,412 Meier Apr. 23, 1912 1,080,007 Hannaford Dec. 2, 1913 1,096,038 Kramer May 12, 1914 2,072,598 Kile Mar. 2, 1937 2,376,120 Campbell et al May 15, 1945 2,557,335 Barker June 19, 1951 2,571,034 Harvey Oct. 9, 1951 2,596,443 Sharp M y 13, 19.52 

